Multiple Characters Walk in a Shot by Turns

Category: iClone_Hints & Tips_Other

Version: iClone 1.52

Date: 2007.02.11

Q: I have 2 characters..1st character comes in frame 1..2nd char comes in frame 500. Do Both characters have distinct motions from the motion editor. Do I need to start my 2nd char at frame 500 from the motion editor because it doesn’t seem to work right just by exporting the 2nd motion to iClone

In the beginning, you need to decide if 2nd character will walk in the scene or suddenly appear. If you want 2nd character to walk in, you need to move the position of the character out of the scene first

Then, launch "Motion Editor", you can edit your motion which will start at frame 500,
and you have to set a pose during frame 0~499. If you don't set any key during 0~499, the character will keep the first pose of your next motion.

Then, export the motion to iClone.

In addition to what was already mentioned: Still motions are easier edited using the timeline inside iClone in the case of the waiting 2nd character.

In position one of the timeline...place character two (2) out of view; copy that camera position to frame 499. This will freeze him in place for the first 500 frames. Once the character is positioned where it won't interfere in those frames, then you should open the motion editor. Your 1st 500 frames of no activity will already be visible on the motion editor timeline...from frame 501 and on you can start adding the additional motions needed to complete the scene, and then export it to iClone as a single action or motion for that character.

______________________________________________________

Visconti
Forum Moderator

Reallusion, Inc.
http://forum.reallusion.com

Stills & Digital Comic Scenes the Easy Way

Category: iClone_Hints & Tips_Other

Version: iClone 2.0

Date: 2007.07.21

Q: An Easy Method for Making a Still for a Digital Comic Page. Save yourself some time. If you want a curios image with an actor who's "doing" something and don't want to go through the effort of using the motion editor or don't have the time... follow this.

Choose a motion file that has a lot of angles to it. The one I’ve chosen is DUNGEON QUEST / SWORDSWOMAN DORIS / GETTING HIT_01.

I put her in SAVANNA GREEN from World Wilderness pack II.

Throw down the ambient lighting and add 2 lights hard orange/orange-red. 2 because I want full light level on hard left lighting for body shape and 2 because when using a full colour only half the emission results. So we over inflate the light volume by using two, often slightly different hues.

Throw in some Mist, rain, hail, Fog, Heavy smoke levels, Water, Fire as big as poss, and a recolor Borealis. A large office block and we're done.

Start at frame 1 and MANUALLY pull the timeline along frame by frame watching how the particles evolve and how the scene comes to life and how the actress moves in this case Siouxie.

If you run backwards accidentally start again as al your particle maths dies.

It starts looking like this.

Video Integration without 3ds ersonName w:st="on">MaxersonName>

Category: iClone_Hints & Tips_Other

Version: iClone 2.0

Date: 2007.07.25

Q: Is there a way to insert video into the NEWS SET project http://www.reallusion.com/iclone/tutorials/ic_switchtv.asp without 3DS-MAX?

VIDEO METHOD 1.
I'm in the process of doing this in the only way I know how which is overlaying with a Chromakey technique and this will be viewable later today as the intro Video for the

Siouxie Sioux project.

Technique: (Easy)
The BG base is the news set as a blank.

The 1st layer is the video I need played over the wall screen resized and "perspectivised" and edited to appear accordingly on cue using Ulead's Video Studio.

Then a second layer is the character sitting at the desk BUT (in this case) a yellow plane is right behind him so that just he and the desk are apparent and the Yellow is my key colour. When removed it , obviously, displays the BG or base where the wall screen is.

Seamless, perfect.
Corel took over Ulead and their Video Studio is a very cost effective highly versatile Video editor and one of the exceptionally few systems I know of that handles extreme video formats like 2000x200 which is kinda handy because iClone does "extreme" as well.

STILLS METHOD 2. (Less impressive.)
A simple workaround, if you want the whole of the background to change and not just a section, is as follows if you're uncomfortable with the cutting room (Editing stage/Editing software).

Create 3 (as many as you wish) objects or planes (Walls from the Scenes > Props > Templates > 3D Blocks > Wall & Floor) and add your image (Modify > Generate 3D & Map Setting > Diffuse) to each object.

Resize and position the objects so that they completely cover the BG video screen.

Set one wall +10 closer than the others and offset it rotationally by about 5 degrees or so.

At the time you want to change the background stop the timeline and drop back the front wall and simultaneously bring another forwards offset rotationally 5 degrees or so in the opposite direction.

Do this as many times as you require.
Afterwards you'll need to go into the timeline editor and do the following.

Set it so that you can see each walls timeline.
Copy the first walls' 1st key frame and paste that first key of the first wall 20 frames or so before the changeover point where it starts to slide back wards to be replaced by the second wall as it starts its first transition to come forwards.
This squeezes the transitional phase down to 20 frames instead of the whole sequence. (Gasp!)

Take the 2nd key of the second wall and copy that, pasting it again 20 frames or so (your choice) before the third wall starts its transition forwards.
The third wall is rotationally opposite to the second, so mimicking the initial walls angle. (Double gasp!)

The effect is a fun transition slide over. If you don't want the transition simply paste each key 1 frame away from each transition phase causing an immediate jump forwards and backwards making an instantaneous transit.

______________________________________________________

Visconti
Forum Moderator

Reallusion, Inc.
http://forum.reallusion.com

TV Studio Wall Video Example

Category: iClone_Hints & Tips_Other

Version: iClone 2.0

Date: 2007.07.27

Q: Pushing the boundaries. Multilayer control for the TV Studio News Room in iClone.

Brief:
To make a final third 5 mins max. news + conclusion video for the intro to the new digital-comic for SiouxieSioux.com. Use simple "no frills" character manipulation and vocal processing. To layer and coordinate complimentary content by control of monitor-to-subject-cut example.
T

o find a workaround for Turbines' peculiar habit of misformatting layers not standard to primary "background" layer format. To create simplistic content with lots of intrigue for tutorial use as "snippets" later. (Novice ability creation / Advanced Editing.)

Here's the demo I spoke of yesterday. Its a day late but the layers seemed to misformat nd it took me a day to figure out what was wrong; the movie was formatted as 800x380, semi wide. But the layers ran off at 360x480 format and jumped from their desired x,y,'s.

Multi Monitor Overlays.
So, before it's polished, this is the Reallusion Newsroom with 6 of the monitors animating with previews.
I don't have much footage of Siouxie just yet so please suffer my iCloneTutorials logo animation in their space. There are 3 misalignment errors and a wierd closing audio volume increase which I'll find later.

METHOD:
1. The background wall for the main speaker is a flat image still.
This is stretched across the whole of the movie and the additional content layered on top of it.

2. The Video Screen behind the primary speaker is the first layer, first because I want the news reader to sit IN FRONT of it.

3. The new reader is a full Character only filmed with a turquoise plane behind him so that when he is layered on top of the Video and Wall "behind" him the turquoise plane CANNOT be seen C-key'd out. Once this has been rendered it is then called into Turbine (or whatever you splice and dice with!) and the turquoise Background is trans'd out (Chroma-Keying.)
He is then laid on top of the Wall Screen video which in turn is a layer above the wall with the video monitor holder embedded in it.

Layer 1 Wall.
Layer 2 Video reshape
Layer 3 Reader w. C-key'd BG.

The end result is a very pleasing News reader moving comfortably in front of a fully animated (audio driven if needs be, re: an interview with a remote reporter!) video screen.

Looks good, takes a while. It'll do the job.

In the opening intro of about 15 seconds about 6 screens (or 5, cant remember!) are animated with simple studio panarounds.

A good exercise. I like it! Hope it brings a smile.

It's the closing scene for a video intro I'm working on as an explanatory to my new (rather serious attempt at a) Digital-Comic sequel. It's supposed to set Siouxie up as a no nonsense, authority S1-0u X agent model 1E.
or... A bit of a bitch!



______________________________________________________

Visconti
Forum Moderator

Reallusion, Inc.
http://forum.reallusion.com